Remote worker guidelines set employees up for success. In addition, shifting your workforce from an in-person setting in a short period of time to their homes requires you to consider the remote worker environment.

Policies and Procedures

If you don’t have existing policies and procedures for working remotely, quickly check with your liability insurance company to assess how they will cover overtime issues, someone getting hurt at work while working remotely, or any other potential health and safety issues. It is essential that you provide remote worker guidelines for how to maintain a safe working space because if something happens, the organization could be liable. Most insurers can also provide you with templates that you can begin using immediately, with minor modifications to make them relevant to your organization.

You should also make sure you provide clear remote worker guidelines on how overtime will be calculated. These policies and procedures become critical in a remote worker environment because employees often struggle with calculating overtime since the line between their home life and work becomes blurred. Some employees can easily balance their family needs with work, but other employees find themselves working nonstop without realizing it. Thus, all employees must be clear on how overtime will be calculated, the process for being approved for overtime while working from home, and when they are eligible.  

Also, it is essential for you to provide remote worker guidance on how employees are supposed to behave online, whether they are allowed to use their own personal equipment or limit themselves to organizational computers due to HIPAA requirements. This can be a compliance and security issue.

Facilitating Connectivity

In the event employees do not have the right telecommuting tech tools (i.e., telephone, internet, at-home computer, etc.), consider paying for setting them up and absorbing the costs directly or reimbursing employees afterward. Both options will require a procurement policy. Also, you should assign a staff person, ideally, your technology team or provider to help you with this process. 

With respect to phones, if the financial circumstances do not permit organizations to make a direct purchase or reimburse employee costs, online communications services are available for meetings like Google Hangouts, which allows for phone calls and chats or messenger. Another alternative is WhatsApp on people’s phones, which is free and does not use data when connected to the internet, or other numerous free applications. These alternatives, of course, required the employee to have internet access.

If staff members cannot afford to pay for their own internet, at that point, you will have to explore leave policies or reach out to one of your funders to repurpose a grant. Most funders understand the strain that COVID-19 is placing on nonprofits.

In subsequent postings, we will cover confidentiality, effective virtual strategies for managing supervision, and strengthening your culture while working remotely. We will also cover maintaining a strong communication flow and managing group projects online. 

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If you would like to schedule a pro-bono nonprofit session with me to facilitate the transition for remote workers, please email [email protected] with the heading “COVID-19 #Pro-bono.” I will be happy to help you during this very difficult time.